Rick Santorum has enlisted strategists who know the Hawkeye State well. |
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“It’s one thing to be a conservative, there are lots of conservatives in Washington, D.C. who go out and talk about the issues of the day,” he told the devout Republicans who braved an impending snowfall to hear the Pennsylvanian and former Godfathers Pizza CEO Herman Cain speak. “But there are very few people who have the temerity to step forward and not just vote pro-life, not just vote traditional marriage, not just vote for religious liberty and freedom of religion — but actually step out of the foxhole and fire the shots.”

Santorum, raising his voice to just short of a shout, demanded: “You think God gave us this right so you could make money? You think our founders founded this country so we could get stuff? When people say we should put the social issues aside, moral issues aside, is that all America is — stuff?

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It was a message that had heads nodding. In interviews following the dinner, the GOP activists heaped praise on Santorum.

But when asked whether they would caucus for the former senator, most only indicated that they were open to the possibility.

That’s partly because the vote is still nearly a year away, and Iowans tend to reserve judgment on whom they’ll support until they get an up-close look at all their options. There’s also an element of pragmatism — they want to pick a candidate who can win the nomination and the presidency.

Even some of the most ideologically driven activists said they had questions about Santorum’s viability.

“I think Sen. Santorum has got good ideas — whether he’ll win the nomination or not that I don’t know,” said Cecelia Patterson, a regular caucus attendee who moments earlier said that “the country is being overrun by terrorists who they’re letting in through the borders” and that the Obama administration is pushing Sharia law.

In an interview, the would-be candidate talked openly about the challenge he had in overcoming this challenge.

“People like you, but they think, you know, ‘He can’t win,’” Santorum said, citing pundits and polls for driving such a perception. “It’s self-fulfilling.”

He conceded that he has to convince Iowans that he’s a contender.

“People here are people with conviction and principle, but they’re also folks that want to be behind somebody that has [a] chance of winning, too,” Santorum said. “If you just look like you can do well here and you’re going nowhere anywhere else, then people are going to question whether that’s the right thing to do.”

The difficulty he has, of course, is that he can probably only prove his viability after winning or turning in a very strong showing in Iowa.

“I make the case that they can have a huge influence on what’s possible, that by doing well here that will impact how we are perceived around [the] rest of country,” Santorum said in explaining how he is trying to convince caucus-goers that they wouldn’t be wasting their votes. “They have the ability to shape the field.”

But the field also will shape Santorum’s prospects.

The absence of Republicans with conservative Christian credentials like Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) and Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) helps his cause. But some here are eyeing Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), and her entry could cut into the same bloc of voters Santorum is targeting.

stay out of iowa rick, we are still trying to clean up your mess from last weekend. western iowa is still covered in the thick coat of santorum you left here when you were talking to the jesus coalition. why dont you just stay in your home state, oh wait they didn't vote for you either. hahahahahahaha

Newt Gingrich (R-GA) loves the country so much that it has caused him to stray from his marriages.

At least, that what the former House speaker seemed to be saying in a recent interview with CBN's David Brody.

"There's no question at times of my life, partially driven by how passionately I felt about this country, that I worked far too hard and things happened in my life that were not appropriate," Gingrich said.

"What I can tell you is that when I did things that were wrong, I wasn't trapped in situation ethics, I was doing things that were wrong, and yet, I was doing them," he said.

Gingrich has been married three times and divorced twice.

His second wife, Marianne, revealed to Esquire last year how the former speaker had presented his first wife with the terms of their divorce while she was in the hospital recovering from surgery for uterine cancer in 1980.

(take my advice, avoid the ******** part of this article.....ewwwwww.)

"Just 400 Americans -- 400 -- have more wealth than half of all Americans combined."

Michael Moore on Saturday, March 5th, 2011 in a speech to protesters in Madison, Wisconsin

Michael Moore says 400 Americans have more wealth than half of all Americans combined

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Documentary filmmaker Michael Moore so admired the daily demonstrations against Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker that he traveled from New York to Madison for one on March 5, 2011.

The liberal firebrand opened his speech by heaping praise on those fighting the Republican governor’s efforts to take collective bargaining powers from state and local government employees.

But he put more firepower into bashing the nation’s rich.

"Right now, this afternoon, just 400 Americans -- 400 -- have more wealth than half of all Americans combined," Moore avowed to tens of thousands of protesters.

"Let me say that again. And please, someone in the mainstream media, just repeat this fact once; we’re not greedy, we’ll be happy to hear it just once.

"Four hundred obscenely wealthy individuals, 400 little Mubaraks -- most of whom benefited in some way from the multi-trillion-dollar taxpayer bailout of 2008 -- now have more cash, stock and property than the assets of 155 million Americans combined."

Now let’s see if what he asserts -- that 400 Americans "have more wealth than half of all Americans combined" -- is true.

Moore has made other staggering claims about the gap between the nation’s rich and poor. In Capitalism: A Love Story, his 2009 documentary, Moore said "the richest 1 percent have more financial wealth than the bottom 95 percent combined."

He was awarded a Mostly True by our colleagues at PolitiFact National for that claim.

For his Madison speech, Moore posted a version of the text on his website. It included a link to back up his statement about the 400 wealthiest Americans. The link was to a blog post by Dave Johnson, a fellow at the Commonweal Institute, a California organization that says it promotes a progressive agenda.

Just seen you on Loud Mouth > you stated Palin is not running but I got news for you she is. If you were any kind of reporter you could read between the lines. You better start watching her very calculating moves. The media has highly underestimated this woman and will continue to do so until she wins the nomination. She has more balls than any man that criticizes her including Chris loud mouth. Rick Santorum hasn't got a shot and can't take the heat like she can. Palin has fire in belly remember she said I will not sit down nor shut up. Maybe you should shut up and start paying attention whats going around you.

Just seen you on Loud Mouth > you stated Palin is not running but I got news for you she is. If you were any kind of reporter you could read between the lines. You better start watching her very calculating moves. The media has highly underestimated this woman and will continue to do so until she wins the nomination. She has more balls than any man that criticizes her including Chris loud mouth. Rick Santorum hasn't got a shot and can't take the heat like she can. Palin has fire in belly remember she said I will not sit down nor shut up. Maybe you should shut up and start paying attention whats going around you.